Food Act
The first food law in Germany was enacted as a Reich law on May 14, 1879. It replaced particular laws that were classified as inadequate. The legislature was based on the provisions of a British law of August 11, 1875 and thus created a nationwide food law .
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Law relating to the trade in foodstuffs, luxury foods and commodities |
| Short title: | Food Act (not official) |
| Type: | Imperial Law |
| Scope: | German Empire |
| Legal matter: | Food law |
| Issued on: | May 14, 1879 ( RGBl. P. 145) |
| Entry into force on: | June 5, 1879 |
| Expiry: | October 1, 1927 (§ 24 G of July 5, 1927, RGBl. I p. 134, 137) |
| Please note the note on the applicable legal version. | |
Content of the law
Captured items
The "law, regarding the traffic with food, luxury foods and commodities" extended to
- food
- Luxury foods
- Toys
- Wallpaper
- Colours
- Eating, drinking and cooking utensils
- petroleum
- other utensils
and their falsifications .
The law provided a certain legal basis for meat inspection , but its design remained entrusted to the states. It was not until April 1, 1903, that uniform imperial regulations came into force in this area based on the “Law on Cattle and Meat Inspection” of June 3, 1900.
Police supervision
Police officers were authorized to take samples of the items offered in the business premises for official examination during normal business hours. The seller was entitled to compensation equal to the purchase price. If the business owner had already been convicted of offenses under this law, the police could undertake revisions to verify compliance with the provisions.
The route via a "health police" can be seen as an introduction to official food monitoring in Germany.
Authorization to issue ordinances
With the consent of the Federal Council , the emperor was allowed to make detailed regulations on the ban
- of certain types of production, storage or packaging of food and luxury goods.
- the commercial sale or offering of food and beverages of a certain quality or under a deceptive name.
- selling and offering slaughter animals suffering from certain diseases and selling the meat of such animals
- the use of certain fabrics and colors for the manufacture of clothing, toys, wallpaper or tableware, as well as the sale of items that have not been prohibited
- of petroleum of a certain nature
- the production and sale of objects intended for the counterfeiting of foodstuffs and luxury goods.
On May 1, 1882, an imperial ordinance on the use of poisonous paints was issued on the basis of this law, which banned their use in food and beverages.
Threat of punishment
The law provided sanctions for violations of a fine or six months' imprisonment.
Other legal norms
In addition to the law, further state and local regulations remained in force. By building public slaughterhouses with compulsory slaughterhouses and employing veterinarians as meat inspectors, larger communities had previously ensured that unfit meat from sick animals did not come onto the market. Existing regulations for checking milk continued to apply.
occasion
The food law came into being after bravery with milk, stretching of sausage with flour or sawdust or the addition of chalk, plaster of paris or other minerals had been observed in everyday life . Bulettes from a Berlin excursion restaurant, to which sawdust was mixed in, finally caused the legislature to intervene.
Validity period
The law promulgated in Reichsgesetzblatt No. 14 of May 22, 1879 , concerning the trade in foodstuffs, luxury items and commodities remained valid until October 1, 1927. From that day the law on the movement of food and consumer goods (food law) of July 5, 1927 ( RGBl. I p. 134) came into force.
literature
- Legal text. (PDF; 120 kB) In: Christian Kleinschmidt: Consumer society . ISBN 978-3-8252-3105-7 .
- Food Act . In: Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon 1894–1896, Volume 12, p. 159.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fleischschau . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 6, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 366.
- ^ Dyes . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 6, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 46.
- ↑ 100 years of the Chemical Investigation Office Hamm . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) accessed June 13, 2009
- ↑ Calendar sheet from May 14, 2003 ( Memento from June 29, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) BR-online, accessed June 13, 2009
- ↑ Ch. Hammerl: History of food law taking into account food monitoring , p. 33 ( Memento of the original from November 24, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) accessed June 13, 2009
